House Of Fear
by Ghostwriter
Summary: In a haunted house, Sam and Dean face their worst fears.
1. Fright Walk

HOUSE OF FEAR

AUTHOR'S NOTE\DISCLAIMER

I wanted to shell out a Halloween story and I figured what better category than Supernatural? Takes place after "Skins", though with my luck it'll probably still be in progress by next Tuesday. I've been wondering just **why** Sam swore off hunting. Sure he wanted a normal life, but what if it had been something else as well? I'm also going off the conversation between Sam and Dean in "Bloody Mary" about how mirrors revealed a person's secrets and lies, as well as why Sam hates being called "Sammy". Supernatural and anything else you recognize belongs to the WB.

CHAPTER ONE: FRIGHT WALK

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the two teenagers screamed as the skeleton lunged out at them. It gave out a booming laugh, and then went back to its spot on the wall.

"Way to go, Leslie. You got psyched by a fake skeleton," a boy teased.

"Oh, I feel so stupid," Leslie said sheepishly.

"Come on. Let's go!" her boyfriend urged. Laughing, the group strolled through the haunted house. Their walk was occasionally filled with shrieks and laughter.

"Hey, come on! Let's go to the hall of mirrors!" Leslie enthused.

"Yeah!" her friends agreed. They hurried to the spot. Several seconds later, there was a group of screams.


	2. New Case

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

_**Sam struggled against the chains that held him.**_

_**"Sammy?" a girl's voice asked playfully. He strengthened his struggle, but it was useless. The chains were too tight. That didn't stop him from trying though.**_

_**"Sammy?" the girl asked again.**_

_**"No," Sam said. He watched as a young woman around his age stepped into view.**_

_**"Awww. Is little Sammy afraid?" she mocked coming closer. "Don't worry. Cassie's here," she continued with a terrible grin. With that, she let her true features show and bared down.**_

"NOOOOOOO!" With a frightened scream, Sam Winchester jerked awake.

"Sam!" his older brother Dean cried. The younger boy put a hand to his neck.

"A dream. It was only a dream," he sighed in relief.

"What was that all about?" Dean wondered.

"Nothing," Sam lied.

"Uh-huh," Dean replied with a raised eyebrow. When Sam didn't say anything else, Dean turned back to the mirror in front of the dresser. Sam took this to mean that his brother was satisfied at his answer. No such luck.

"So, was it Jessica again?" he questioned.

"No. Thank God," his younger brother responded. Sam got out of the hotel's bed and got dressed. They had rented a room for the night so that they would be fresh in the morning.

"So what was it?" Dean persisted.

"Just drop it, Dean!" Sam snapped. "Let's just pay the manager and get out of here," he continued in a calmer voice.

"You okay, man?" Dean queried. Sam blew out a breath.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry," he apologized.

"You know, you've been pretty edgy since we faced that shape-shifter," was the other Winchester's observation.

"Come on. The longer we stay here, the less chance we have of finding Dad and the thing that killed Jessica," came the response. Dean watched as Sam packed his things. What was wrong with him? With a sigh, he began to do the same as his brother.

"This isn't over," he told him. His statement went unanswered. As soon as they were packed, the brothers paid the manager and went on their way.

"Hey, check it out," Sam said presently. Dean followed his younger brother's line of vision to see a team of squad cars at the town's amusement park.

"That's odd," Dean stated. Without even having to ask, Dean **knew** Sam wanted to check it out. He could see it in his body language. Therefore, he drove up. Once parked, the brothers began to walk up.

"Hey. You have to stay back," an officer called, quickly coming over to them.

"Why? What's going on?" Sam wondered.

"It's nothing that would concern you boys," the officer replied.

"Hey, Pete! You gotta check this out!" another officer yelled. Pete, the officer in front of them, looked over his shoulder.

"What?" he asked.

"These kids. They all look like they've been scared to death," came the response.


	3. Intrigued

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. If you don't recognize it, it's mine.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. Scared to death? That was strange. And right up their alley.

"Hmm," Dean said. He jerked his head to the side, indicating to his brother that he was to follow. Sam did as he was told. Unnoticed by any of the officers, they approached the scene.

"Hey, Dean. We should be careful. We don't want to risk contaiminating anything," Sam reminded in a whisper.

"No, duh," Dean responded. They walked up until they were only a few feet away and then stopped. Even from where they were, they could see the frightened looks on the group's faces.

"Aw, man. They're just kids," Dean said. One of the officers, followed by two paramedics, brought out one of the bodies. Sam and Dean looked the corpse over. Whatever had killed it had been nasty. The teen was completely covered in blood.

"Excuse me," Sam requested, and then ran off. _What the---what's wrong with Sam?_ Dean wondered.

"Sam!" he called, going after him. The sound of retching reached his ears and he found his brother by the 1967 Chevy Impala.

"You better not be throwing up on my car," Dean chided. Then, as the younger brother finished, "You okay?"

"It was just a kid...so much blood," Sam said, wiping his mouth.

"Yeah, I know. It's pretty horrible," Dean agreed. Sam's eyes flashed.

"We gotta find this thing, Dean. We gotta find it and kill it," he declared.


	4. Next Victim

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

Tanya: Thanks. Hope this is soon enough.

OrangeJuice: Thanks. I will.

Nate and Jake: Glad you're enjoying it. Soon enough for you? Wait and see. (As far as I know, responding is still allowed. If not, please tell me and I'll stop).

DISCLAIMER

First of all, this has nothing to do with 21 Jump Street's 3rd season episode. I just liked the title. Second of all, anything that's familiar belongs to the WB. Finally, anything you **don**'**t** recognize is mine.

Later that night, two teens---a boy and a girl---snuck into the carnival.

"Come on. Will you hurry up?" the boy asked, ducking underneath the yellow police tape.

"Jerry, I don't know about this," the girl whispered nervously, following him.

"Oh come on, Lisa. There's nothing to be afraid of," Jerry scoffed.

"But that group of kids---" Lisa began to protest.

"Was an unfortunate accident," Jerry interrupted.

"But I heard from Sherri that the cops were saying that those kids had been scared to death," Lisa told him.

"Lise, do you want to be a chicken your whole life?" Jerry demanded in a fed up voice.

"I'm not a chicken," Lisa retorted hotly.

"Then come on," Jerry dared. Lisa hurried after him. For a while, the two roamed around the park, filching candy and snacks.

"Hey, look," Lisa said suddenly. "There's light on over there," she continued.

"Probably just the caretaker," Jerry stated.

"No. It seems to be coming from inside one of the walk-throughs," Lisa replied.

"Well, let's check it out," Jerry decided. "I mean, with any luck, it could be The Tunnel of Love," he said suggestively.

"Oh, you!" Lisa scolded, swatting him on the arm. Laughing, they headed for the light. At the entrance, Jerry tried the knob and was surprised when the door swung open.

"That's funny. Why would they leave it open?" he wondered.

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"No, I guess not," he responded. Together, they stepped inside and continued following the light path.

"Look. It leads to the Hall of Mirrors," Lisa noted.

"The Hall of Mirrors? Isn't that where---" Jerry's voice trailed off. For all his bravado, he wasn't too sure of how he felt going into a place where someone had actually **died**.

"Yeah. But that was just an unfortunate accident, right?" Lisa replied.

"I guess, but---" Again, Jerry's voice broke off. Suddenly, he wasn't too sure about this.

"Who's the chicken now?" Lisa taunted.

"I'm not a chicken," Jerry objected in an insulted tone.

"Whatever," Lisa dismissed. She walked into the attraction.

"See? Nothing here. Safe as houses," she smirked. Jerry had just crossed the threshold when the room began to shake.

"Wha---what's happening?" Lisa asked in fright.

"I---I don't know," Jerry replied in the same voice. Suddenly, a dozen reptiles appeared on the floor! Lisa shrieked.

"Lisa! Lisa! They're not real!" Jerry cried over her screams. To his amazement, a murky silhouette appeared in the mirror.

"I know what scares you," it hissed in a raspy voice.

"Lisa, we gotta get outta here," Jerry said fearfully. However, before he could make a move, a large dog appeared in front of him and began to bark viciously. Jerry gasped. He **hated** dogs. Meanwhile, a late night security guard had just become aware of the commotion. Curious, and not just a little concerned, he hurried to the spot. When he got to the scene, he saw two teens screaming. He saw something dark and shadowey encircle the girl. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew it was bad. Making a quick decision, he grabbed the boy.

"Come on! We gotta get outta here!" he shouted. This seemed to waken the teen up.

"Leslie! I can't leave her!" he cried. Her screams grew louder.

"There's nothing we can do for her! We have to leave **now**!" the guard yelled. With that, he dragged the boy away. Once outside, Jerry tried to go back inside, but the guard held him back.

"Don't be stupid. There's nothing you can do," he stated. Then, the screams stopped.

"No," the boy said weakly. "No," he whispered. The guard held the teen in a hug, partially comforting him and partially keeping him back.


	5. Jerry's Account

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

SomeoneElsesDream: Thanks. You'll see.

OrangeJuice: Thanks. By the way, cool handle.

Tanya: Thanks. Glad you liked it. Yeah, they **are** hot. Especially Sam.

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. I only own the things and people you don't recognize.

_**Sam was lying on his bed, eyes closed when he felt something hit his forehead. He turned his head, but felt another splat. He opened his eyes and gasped. Jessica was pinned to the ceiling, bleeding.**_

_**"Why Sam?" she asked.**_

**_"NO!" he cried. Then, she was engulfed by flames._** The scene shifted. **_Sam struggled against the chains that held him._**

_**"Sammy?" a girl's voice asked playfully. He strengthened his struggle, but it was useless. The chains were too tight. That didn't stop him from trying though.**_

_**"Sammy?" the girl asked again.**_

_**"No," Sam said. He watched as a young woman around his age stepped into view.**_

_**"Awww. Is little Sammy afraid?" she mocked coming closer. "Don't worry. Cassie's here," she continued with a terrible grin. With that she let her true features show and bared down. Blood trickled from his neck as the vampire's fangs cut into his skin. Sam screamed.**_

"SAM!" Dean shouted. Sam gasped and jerked up right. Panting, he put a hand to his neck and was relieved to feel the smoothness of the skin.

"Another dream. It was just another dream," he sighed.

"Musta been a doozy. I've been tryin' to wake you for fifteen minutes," Dean responded.

"Why? What's going on?" Sam wondered.

"There's squad cars down at the carnival again," Dean replied.

"You think there was another death?" Sam asked.

"Probably," Dean answered.

"Okay. Just let me get dressed," Sam said. With that, he got up and got dressed. His eyes clouded. Why were these dreams haunting him? Jessica he could understand. He had never told her who he was...but the thing with Cassie. Why was he remembering again?

"You ready?" Dean queried.

"Yeah. Let's go," Sam answered. With that, they headed for the campground. When they got there, they saw two uniforms talking to a teenaged male.

"We---we---were in the Hall of Mirrors. It---it was horrible. The---the room started to shake, and then there was this---this murky shape. It knew how to make us afraid," the boy stammered.

"Jerry, come on. Don't give us this trash. Tell us what **really** happened," a cop said skeptically.

"I just did," Jerry insisted. He looked to the security guard. "You were there! He saw!" he continued. The officers looked to the man, not noticing Sam and Dean as they walked up.

"I saw---something. It was like a---shadow or a silhoutte," the guard confirmed.

"Jerry, was it in the mirror?" Sam asked. At this, the uniforms turned around.

"Who are you?" one demanded. For a moment, Sam and Dean stared at each other.

"Carnival inspectors," Dean answered. "Was it? In the mirror?" he continued.

"Yeah," Jerry nodded. "It---it killed Lisa---by scaring her to death," he confirmed.


	6. Arthur Buckuss

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

Lisa b green: Thanks. Sorry. I didn't know I was usin' your name. Kinda trippy.

Windyfontaine: Thanks. You'll see. Soon enough for you?

Nate and Jake: Don't worry about it. Thanks. Hope this is soon enough.

Tanya: Yes he is. Yeah, it kinda was. It's part of my idea. You'll see why. I'm glad you're intrigued. I will.

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Sam and Dean stared at Jerry.

"Was Lisa your sister?" Dean asked.

"My girlfriend," Jerry responded, sinking to a sitting position. "We never should've snuck in. She didn't even want to," he continued. Something wet touched his eyelids and he blinked, trying not to show emotion. Sam knelt in front of him so that they were facing.

"What happened to Lisa was **not** your fault," he stated. "Believe me, I know how easy it is to just blame yourself for something you had no control over," he added.

"I just wish I---" Jerry's voice trailed off.

"I know. Believe me, I know," Sam said. A picture of Jessica burning flashed through his mind but he drove it away.

"Jerry, why don't you go on home?" one of the officers suggested.

"Right," Jerry agreed. As the man was led away, Dean jerked his head, indicating that Sam was to follow. The younger Winchester did so.

"So, what do you want to?" Sam asked.

"I think we need to read up on this good carnival," Dean stated.

"But we don't even know the name of this place," Sam protested.

"Sure we do. Carnival of Intrigue," Dean replied.

"How do you know that?" Sam wondered. Dean merely pointed above their heads. Sam looked up. Sure enough, on a wooden board painted in creepy letters were the words Carnival of Intrigue.

"Oh," Sam said. Dean chuckled.

"Shut up," Sam growled. They got into Dean's Chevy Impala and drove back to their hotel. Once there, Dean logged onto his lap top and began a search.

"So, what are exactly are you looking for?" Sam wondered.

"The way these people died. It's almost like there's a reason. I'm looking to see if there was a carnival worker who died nasty," Dean responded.

"But what if there's no history? What if some spirit just decided to take up residence in the Hall of Mirrors for no apparent reason?" Sam asked.

"That's a good point, but this time totally wrong, little brother," Dean stated.

"You found something?" Sam queried, coming to look over his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah. Back in the late 1900s, a man named Arthur Buckuss worked at Carnival of Intrigue. According to this, he was extremely shy and a target of practical jokes by the other workers," Dean reported.

"Buckuss was lured into the Hall of Mirrors, where two co-workers locked him in with two rats," Sam read, picking up the story.

"And from what this says, our boy Arthur was afraid of rats. **Deathly** afraid," Dean mused.

"So he's doing what was done to him. Scaring people to death," Sam realized.

"Heck of a payback," Dean said dryly.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The story on the carnival is just my imagination. As far as I know, there's nothing like what I wrote out there. If there is, tell me and I'll check it out. And I'm not sure when newspapers actually came out, so I'm taking some liberties here.


	7. Facing Their Fears

DISCLAIMER\AUTHOR'S NOTE

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Anything you don't recognize is mine. And in the previous chapter, I sent the boys back to the hotel even though in ch 5 they had checked out. Sorry about that. My mistake. So now they're in the car. For Cassie's powers, think Drusilla, only not insane. And I got the way to destroy ghosts from From what I can tell, it's some kind of game-playing site, but I liked what they had.

Once the boys had identified the spirit, they leaned towards each other and began working out a plan. They would go to the carnival that night, confront Buckuss, and convince him to leave. If that didn't work, well...their dad had plenty of advice for getting rid of unwanted ghosts. Hopefully, they wouldn't need any of it.

"We're going to have be alert tonight, so we should use this time to get some rest," Dean stated.

"I don't sleep that well anymore. You know that," Sam responded.

"Just try, Sammy," Dean said.

"It's Sam," Sam promptly corrected. Dean rested his head against the seat. Within moments, he was sleeping peacefully. Sam however fought against the sleep. He knew what he would see and he didn't want to. However, the restless nights took their toll and he found himself slumbering. **_Sam was lying on his bed, eyes closed when he felt something hit his forehead. He turned his head, but felt another splat. He opened his eyes and gasped. Jessica was pinned to the ceiling, bleeding._**

_**"Why Sam?" she asked.**_

**_"NO!" he cried. Then, she was engulfed by flames_**. Sam moaned, then turned in his seat. **_Sam struggled against the chains that held him._**

_**"Sammy?" a girl's voice asked playfully. He strengthened his struggle, but it was useless. The chains were too tight. That didn't stop him from trying though.**_

_**"Sammy?" the girl asked again.**_

_**"No," Sam said. He watched as a young woman around his age stepped into view.**_

_**"Awww. Is little Sammy afraid?" she mocked coming closer. "Don't worry. Cassie's here," she continued with a terrible grin. With that she let her true features show and bared down. Blood trickled from his neck as the vampire's fangs cut into his skin. Sam screamed. As she drained him, Cassie placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him close. Sam closed his eyes at what he knew what was coming. Searing pain raced through his body.**_

"No! Dad, help me!" Sam cried, waking up. Dean made annoyed muttering sounds as he stirred. Sam jiggled the handle and Dean unlocked the door. Once he was out of the car, Sam began to retch. The older brother yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Sammy, you okay?" Dean asked in concern. Sam coughed as he finished vomitting.

"Man, I wish Dad was here," he whispered. Dean looked out the window.

"It's night time. Let's go," he stated. Sam got back in the car and they drove to the carnival. As soon as they got there, the brothers grabbed their bag of tools and headed straight for the Hall of Mirrors. As soon as they stepped inside, the room started to shake.

"Uh-oh. That can't be good," Dean muttered, dropping the bag next to Sam.

"No kidding," Sam agreed. They watched as a murky silhoutte came to be in the mirror.

"I know what scares you," he hissed. Dean turned around was amazed to see their father.

"Dad!" he called. Sam turned to face what Dean saw. The older boy knelt down and checked for vitals.

"He's dead. If only I had gotten here sooner," he said thickly. Suddenly, John Winchester's eyes flew open and he grabbed Dean by the throat!

"**You**! I'm dead because of **you**!" he roared. For a moment, Dean froze. This was exactly what he was afraid of. Being too late to save their father and being blamed for it.

"Dean!" Sam cried and tried to pull the apparition away. Unfortunately, he discovered that it was only solid for Dean because it was his nightmare.

"Come on, Dean! Fight it!" Sam urged. Meanwhile, the Winchester patriach imposter continued to choke Dean. Without warning, it was if he had woken up.

"You're not Dad! Even if I did find him dead! He would never blame me!" he shouted, kneeing the vision. John Winchester disappeared.

"Dean! You okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but that was way too close," Dean stated, rubbing his neck.

"Sammy," a voice called playfully. Sam froze.

"No," he said wth a shake of his head.

"Sa-a-a-a-am-m-m-m-my," the voice called again. They watched as a young woman appeared in front of them.

"No," Sam said again.

"Awww. Is little Sammy afraid?" she mocked coming closer. "Don't worry. Cassie's here," she continued with a terrible smile. Before Dean could stop her, she tackled Sam and pinned him to the ground.

"No. Not again," Sam moaned. Dean watched as Cassie turned into a vampire and tore into his neck. Sam screamed in pain.

"Sam! Come on! Fight her!" Dean encouraged. He attempted to do what Sam had, but discovered the same thing. As Cassie drank, she positioned herself so that their bodies were symmetrical.

"No," Sam moaned in fright. He lifted his hands in an attempt to stop the assault.

"Sammy," Cassie reproached. "Sammy, look at me," she continued, making him follow her fingers to his eyes. _No. I can't let it happen_, Sam thought fearfully. He stretched out a hand for their weapon bag. "Be in me," she intoned. _Come on. Come on, Sam. Almost there. You just gotta reach a stake_, he thought to himself.

"Don't move. See what I can do," she murmured. With a grunt, Sam continued to reach for the bag. There! He was in. All he had to was keep his presence of mind long enough to find a stake. He attempted to block her advance, but the arm wouldn't do as he wanted. It was immobilized. Sam nearly gave into the fright, but then he felt his fingers wrap around something wooden and pointy. Yes! He had found it. With a grunt of concentration, he brought the stake down on his attacker.

"That's the last time you'll **ever** hurt me," Sam snarled as Cassie screamed and disentigrated. The ghost howled in rage.

"Nice try, Buckuss. You're gonna have to do better than that to defeat the Winchesters," Sam growled, standing up.

"Impossible! No one has ever beaten my illusions!" the ghost shrieked.

"First time for everything, Artie," Dean stated. Buckuss howled and began moving towards the mirror.

"Dean, where's that X-Beam?" Sam asked nervously. The older Winchester rifled through the bag. One of Buckuss' hands came through the mirror.

"Dean, hurry up," Sam urged.

"I'm lookin' for it!" Dean shouted. More of Buckuss' ghostly body came through and he grabbed Sam by the throat, pulling him towards the mirror.

"DEAN!" Sam screamed.

"Got it!" came the report. He turned on the beam just as Sam reached the mirror. Buckuss shrieked and dissolved. Sam began to collapse.

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed, catching his brother.

"Okay. Let's agree to never cut it that close again, huh?" Sam suggested.


	8. On The Move

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

OrangeJuice: Thanks.

Melodie568: Thanks. Me too.

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. I only own what you don't recognize.

The next morning, Sam and Dean headed away from the town.

"You know, it's funny," Sam said presently.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I never really thought you were afraid of anything. I mean, you're always acting like you're hardcore," Sam responded.

"I'm afraid of a lot of things, Sam. Buckuss just managed to find what scared me the most," Dean told him. They fell silent. "So...are you going to tell me what that was all about?" he queried after a while.

"What?" Sam asked in a voice that indicated that he had spaced.

"That vampire...Cassie. What was that all about?" Dean prodded. Sam let out a shaky sigh. Dean looked at his younger brother in concern.

"A couple of years before I went off to college, Dad and I were on a hunt," Sam began. "This town was being terrorized by a group of vampires," he continued. He stopped and swallowed nervously. "I-uh---I ended up getting ambushed and kidnapped. I was held for three days," he stated.

"And she drained and raped you," Dean finished. Sam looked out the window for a while, then turned around so that he was facing his older brother.

"Yes," he confessed thickly. "It---uh---that's---that's why I gave up hunting," he continued.

"And why you hate being called "Sammy"," Dean realized.

"It just reminds me of her," Sam confirmed.

"Well, you're safe with me, and nothing like that's ever gonna happen again," Dean promised. Sam watched the scenery. As they drove by, Sam saw a blonde woman in a white dress standing next to a tree. Sam did a double take. Jessica? He looked at her, trying to determine whether it was her or not, but when they passed the tree, she had disappeared. Dean looked at Sam in confusion and mild concern. Was he okay? Sam caught the gaze and nodded reassuringly. The rest of the ride was driven in silence.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay, so I got the ending from "Bloody Mary". What can I say? I liked it? And **that**'**s** my Halloween story. I hoped you all enjoyed it. Catch ya on the flip side.


End file.
